Unboxing the third-gen iPad (photos)

The new iPad goes on sale Friday. What can you expect? Check out our hands-on photos here.

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Typical Apple packaging

No big surprises here. The third-gen iPad comes in typical Apple packaging. The new iPad goes on sale Friday in various flavors, starting with the 16GB Wi-Fi-only model for $499 all the way up to the 4G 64GB model for $829.

iPad 2 vs. third-gen iPad

Can you tell the difference between the two iPads? Physically, the two tablets are very similar. The new iPad's (right) glass and aluminum chassis is still 9.5 inches tall by 7.3 inches wide, but it's slightly thicker (0.37 inch) and heavier (1.46 pounds--4G/Wi-Fi) than its predecessor.

Retina Display

One of the biggest draws of the iPad 2012 is its new Retina Display. The 9.7-inch QXGA offers a resolution of 2,048x1,536--or 3.1 million pixels. Just how good does it look? To quote Donald Bell's hands-on take, "Not only does the new iPad's QXGA screen wreck your expectations for tablet screens, but your laptop or desktop computer screen will also look shabby by comparison."